International COVID-19 Megathread

[CumbrianLefty]

Now talk of at least large parts of England going into a second full lockdown.

Oh joy.

[CumbrianLefty]

More fun and games in the UK yesterday as it emerged the huge numbers of "lost" tests was due to not just some bright spark entering them on Excel, but not even being aware of the basics of doing so.

(channelling Father Ted taking to Dougal - "that's a ROW, and this is a COLUMN")

[CumbrianLefty]

Nice joke, but I think it wasn't the civil service actually responsible for this?

(rather, one of the government's favourite "outsourcing" pals)

[CumbrianLefty]

Meanwhile Germany's most prominent virologist Christian Drosten is saying that some restrictions might need to remain in place permanently.

But that is perhaps also unviable in the longer term.

Which means in the absence of any reliable vaccine, we are screwed one way or another.

[CumbrianLefty]

No info from Switzerland - really?

[CumbrianLefty]

Yes, the death rates in this "second wave" seem to be almost universally lower than in the first. So at least a bit of a cause for optimism amongst the gathering gloom.

[CumbrianLefty]

1.800 new cases here yesterday.

In US terms, that would be +67.000 cases.

7 deaths were recorded, or in US terms, ca. 250.

Except for fatalities, these numbers are similar to the US. Is it known what's driving up these numbers? Is it parties and private events? I would assume so, since there is overall not much evidence public transportation or supermarkets are places of infection.

In England it's schools and workplaces.

And universities, much more than schools. (Unless you were using schools in the sense that our American friends would understand.)

Interesting; studies in Germany found that schools hardly contribute to the most recent spike in cases. Here it's mainly young people going out for parties or private events like family fests or weddings. The city of Hamm had a very low number in cases until few weeks ago and then one wedding with 200 people became a superspreader event and caused that many infections that public life had to be restricted. The couple now faces legal issues.

Quite rightly, it would seem - what is the actual legal limit on persons attending such things?

[CumbrianLefty]

UK government has basically declared war on both Gt Manchester and London. Sure that will end well.

[CumbrianLefty]

Anyway, so Wales' government have now decided that they are the judges of what are essentials and what isn't.

Until recently, Drakeford had handled this pretty well. And even this latest move is well intentioned - a way of protecting smaller retaliers and helping them get through this "circuit breaker".

But it is still obvious nonsense, and almost certainly ultimately unenforceable.

[CumbrianLefty]

It seems to me that a halfway functioning society and suppressing the virus are not fully possible. The only way out is a vaccine and if that doesn't work (unlikely), then we will have tough choices to make.

Tbf the aim with most seems to be *controlling* the virus at an acceptably low level rather than fully suppressing it - but of course the former is also proving incredibly difficult in practice.

[CumbrianLefty]

It is less than two months since many of the government's captive papers in the UK had front page banner headlines that basically said "GET BACK TO THE OFFICE NOW, SKIVERS".

Just putting that out there.

[CumbrianLefty]

The more general point about neoliberalism in the UK is correct, though.

Its actually one of the main indictments of Blair's time as PM.

[CumbrianLefty]

It seems that our PM hopes for credit as the man who "saved Christmas".

This may be.....optimistic.

[CumbrianLefty]

But we can now be cautiously optimistic about a vaccine being available soon, after today's news.

[CumbrianLefty]

Last few days have also seen a Russian claim of a 90% plus effective vaccine.

[CumbrianLefty]

Ukraine is in serious trouble as a country form Covid. Their own President got it at one point too.

Following the Trump example.

[CumbrianLefty]

Claims today of another highly effective vaccine in the works. Things looking up in that regard at least.

[CumbrianLefty]

Pfizer have claimed their anti-Covid vaccine is 95% effective.

[CumbrianLefty]

Another working vaccine announced this morning, how many is that now?

[CumbrianLefty]

A leading Fidesz MEP was caught using his parliamentary immunity to escape a fine for violating Belgian lockdown rules by having a 25-man gay orgy in a bar right in front of a Brussels police station, as you do.

Had to be them, OF COURSE it did

Did he claim it was all the fault of George Soros afterwards?

[CumbrianLefty]

Pfizer vaccine approved in the UK.

Good news, and come the new year we should have more than one vaccine to choose from.

[CumbrianLefty]

But it is still a very interesting development that flies in the face of the popular narrative. I guess many people really do just want a strong leader.

But this doesn't always work, Trump paid the price for handling things incompetently for instance.

[CumbrianLefty]

First vaccinations took place in the UK this morning.

[CumbrianLefty]

First vaccinations took place in the UK this morning.

Interesting is that the second person who got it, after the 90 year old woman, was a guy named William Shakespeare.

Perhaps one for the "this may not actually have been a complete coincidence" file.

[CumbrianLefty]

Meanwhile in the EU, quite a few members getting restive at vaccinations not being started yet.